Joy and I took a ride to Lake City, MN the other day. On our way, we noticed the water was high and moving fast in a couple of the little towns we drove through. Yesterday, in one of the fields near Pine Island, where the river crossed its banks slightly, the water had receded. Although we live on what might be called “high ground,” we’ve been flooded in a couple of times when the main roads we drive was covered in flood waters.

Almost anywhere it rains, it can flood. Even if you live in an area of that you think isn’t at risk, preparation is just as important as with other types of emergencies.

Before we get into how you can prepare for, react to, and cope after flooding, it’s important to note that flood damage is typically not covered by your homeowners or renters insurance. There are specialized flood insurance programs that I can discuss with you. Just contact me at 507-226-8121 or jondekok@dekokinsgroup.com for more information.

Preparing for a flood

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends a number of steps to stay safe during emergencies and limit damage from flooding. The first two tips will benefit you in any type of emergency.

Build an emergency kit for your family containing such items as drinking water and nonperishable food for each member of your family (two-week supply), flashlights, a radio, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, necessary medications, personal hygiene items and copies of important documents.

Create a communication plan so family members can reach one another.

Elevate your furnace, water heater and electric panel in your home if live in an area with a high flood risk.

Consider installing “check valves” to prevent floodwater from backing up into the drains of your home.

If possible, construct barriers to stop floodwater from entering your home and seal basement walls with waterproofing compounds.

I think it’s also important to be sure you have your cell phone and charger/s with you. If you lose power, and can get to you vehicle, you can recharge the phone there.

Reacting to a flood

If a flood is likely in your area, quick action may be necessary to protect your family and property. You should:

Get information from the radio or television.

Move immediately to higher ground if there is any possibility of a flash flood. Do not wait for instructions to move.

If you need to evacuate, secure your home and move essential items to an upper floor. Turn off utilities if instructed to do so, and disconnect electrical appliances. However, do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

Do not walk through moving water — it can make you fall. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

Do not drive into flooded areas. If you are caught in your vehicle in floodwater, abandon your car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.

If you have evacuated your home, do not return until authorities tell you it is safe.

Coping after a flood

Flooding can cause emotional stress along with physical hazards, so be mindful of the well-being of you and your family during the aftermath.

Floodwater can be contaminated by oil, gasoline or sewage, so avoid contact as much as possible.

Make sure your city’s water supply is safe to drink.

Clean and disinfect everything that was in contact with floodwater.

The Red Cross has a free book available called “Repairing Your Flooded Home,” which contains useful information as you clean up. It’s available at www.redcross.org. Of course, don’t hesitate to contact us as well — we’re ready to help!

If you have flood insurance, contact the claims center of your provider as soon as possible. That information is with your policy.

Flooding is one of the most common hazards in the U.S. Being prepared for any emergency is crucial for the safety of you and your family. Don’t be caught off guard!

Jon

Email: dekokinsgroup@gmail.com

Phone 507-226-8121

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

This buffet was my Mom’s and Joy’s dad gave her these typewriters – they are valuable to us. This photo would give us a place to start replacement if a catastrophic event happened at our home. Insurance can’t replace the emotional attachment we have to them, but we agree, it would be nice to physically replace them should a loss occur.

Why a Home Inventory Is Important

Let’s try a little exercise: Can you list everything you own from memory? I can’t either.

The fact is most people own more things than they realize. It’s easy to remember the cars, the computer, the TV. But what about that holiday china in the garage? Or every pair of shoes? Or at our house, Joy’s books.

All of it is regarded as personal property for insurance purposes. And if your home is destroyed by fire or some other disaster, having a list of your possessions makes filing a claim easier — and helps you put your life back together – faster.

Why should I complete a home inventory? What’s the best way?

Comparing the value of your belongings to the “contents” limit listed in your policy helps you make sure you have enough insurance to replace them if they are lost, stolen or destroyed as a result of a covered loss. The easiest way to take an inventory is to use a video camera, recording and describing items as you walk through your house. Or, you can use a regular camera and create a home inventory checklist.

Here are a few tips for completing and storing your inventory:

Use video or photographs – if you use video, you can use your voice to describe the items as you go.

Add brand names and descriptions where you can, especially on large-ticket items. Serial numbers are helpful to note.

Keep any receipts you have with the list to make the claims process easier.

Store your video or photo inventory offsite so you won’t lose it if your house is damaged.

Update your personal property records when you purchase new furnishings and valuables.

Though the task may seem daunting, it’s important to try. An incomplete inventory is better than nothing at all.

How much insurance do I need?

I can assist you in analyzing your insurance needs and help you decide how to most effectively protect your personal property. You may want to consider full-value coverage, which will pay for the replacement value of your personal belongings. A standard policy typically covers personal property only up to its actual cash value, determined by taking the replacement cost and deducting depreciation, which can be substantial. (For example, a 5-year-old TV is usually worth much less than what it would cost to purchase a new one.)

Finally, remember your homeowners policy covers valuable items such as jewelry, furs, art and antiques, only up to set dollar amounts. If the cost of replacing them exceeds these limits, you may want to purchase scheduled personal property coverage.

The Insurance Information Institute has a FREE online tool that can help you create your inventory. Just visit www.knowyourstuff.org for more details.

I hope you’ll never need the home inventory, but preparing for the worst can prevent a lot of hassle later!

By the way, I have a question for you: If I could save you a substantial amount of money on your home and auto insurance, would you be interested in a quote? If your answer is yes, call me at 507-226-8121 or email me at jondekok@dekokinsgroup.com and let me know.

Jon

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

[tweetthis]Why should I complete a home inventory? #HomeInsurance #MNInsurance[/tweetthis]

[tweetthis]How much insurance do I need? #HomeInsurance #IndependentAgent #MNInsurance[/tweetthis]

I’ve been in the insurance business for over thirty years and understand the home insurance needs of my customers. I’ll work with you to estimate the replacement cost for your home and to adjust your policy limits from time to time as needed.

One of my biggest concerns is when a potential clients calls for a quote and we discover that their property is underinsured.

Here are some steps you can take to reduce the danger of being seriously underinsured:

Call. If you have questions or concerns about the limits in your policy, ask me to show you how those amounts were calculated. This will also give you an opportunity to make us aware of any overlooked information.

Read your policy. Certain property, such as jewelry, and certain perils, such as earthquake or flood, is better insured separately. Knowing what is covered and for how much will help you insure properly. If there is anything in your policy you don’t understand, call me at 507-226-8121 and ask for an explanation.

Review. At each annual renewal of your policy, you receive a new Policy Declarations page showing limits of coverage and optional coverages. Review this information. If you do any significant remodeling or add a family room, extra bedroom or bathroom, etc., call me and ask about these changes so your coverage limits can be adjusted to cover the improvement.

Consider carefully whether your policy provides all the protection you need. Does it provide coverage for extra costs resulting from building code changes? Does it automatically increase coverage limits annually to keep pace with inflation? Does it provide additional funds if the cost of rebuilding your home exceeds the policy limits?

Make sure you know:

Will your insurance company stand behind agreed upon repairs after a claim? Some companies are willing to put this guarantee in writing.

Does your policy include replacement cost coverage for contents (clothing, furniture, appliances, and other personal property inside your home)? If not, you can add it by endorsement. The cost is small, the protection valuable. Replacement Cost Coverage pays for losses to your possessions at the cost of brand new items. Without this option, a covered loss to your personal possessions would be depreciated by their age and condition, reducing the size of your claim settlement.

If you have an art collection, antique furniture, jewelry, or other valuable possessions, call and ask me about supplemental coverages, such as fine arts or scheduled property endorsements, to adequately protect your investment in these items. The cost is modest for the extra protection, and sometimes the deductible is waived.

Consider whether you should have more coverage for personal property (contents) than your policy provides. Personal property coverage is usually 70% of the coverage limit for the structure. Your limit may be lower than 70%. Supplemental protection is available for a small additional premium.

Inventory your home. Prepare an inventory of personal property items, update it periodically, and keep it in a safe place outside your home, such as a safe deposit box at your bank. It will save you hours of time trying to list everything damaged or destroyed if you need to make a claim. It will also help ensure you don’t forget some items.

Personal Liability

Besides making sure you have enough protection to cover possible damage to your own home and contents, you should also evaluate your exposure to liability risks. These result from damage to the property of another, or injury to a person, not a member of your household, for which you can be responsible.

In recent years it’s become common for homeowners to be sued for injuries or damages to others, even when there is no evidence of negligence by the homeowner. The reality today is if you have any appreciable assets, you are exposed to the risk of being sued. Even if you ultimately prevail in court, your legal fees and the months or years of worry and uncertainty can be a terrible burden on you and your family.

The Personal Liability coverage provided by your Homeowners Policy usually provides a limit of $100,000 or $300,000. We recommend increasing this protection with a personal umbrella policy. Not only will it increase your personal liability, but also your auto liability. Limits are available from $1 million to $10 million and beyond. The cost of this coverage is usually very reasonable.

Keep in mind that Minnesota can require certain minimum levels of coverage. After that, the right coverage for you is unique. I’d like to help you find out how to get the best price and value on insurance for your home, personal property, and liability.

It’s also an excellent idea to consider Umbrella Insurance. Click HERE to read more about this inexpensive protection.

Jon

Email: dekokinsgroup@gmail.com

Phone 507-226-8121

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

[tweetthis]How much insurance do you need? #HomeownersInsurance #MNInsurance #RochesterMN[/tweetthis]

First to answer this question we need to know, better coverage than what? What I mean is better coverage than you now have.

On auto insurance, it might be the right thing to look at what limits of coverage you have if you are at fault in an accident and someone sues you. This coverage is Bodily Injury and Property Damage liability. If you currently have a $100,000 limit and your total assets are worth more than that, better coverage (like higher limits), could save you a lot of heartaches later.

On your homeowners insurance, it may be making sure your dwelling limit is protected by having increased replacement cost coverage. It could also be having special form (all risk) coverage on your personal property as well as your dwelling. Do you have coverage if the sewer or drain backs up? If so, what limit have you chosen? Are your firearms covered at a high enough limit? Most companies limit coverage for firearms without an endorsement. Safeco Insurance does not limit coverage for your firearms (other than the total personal property limit).

Please call, email me, or stop in. I will be happy to go over the coverage you now have and suggest area’s where it may be important to have better coverage.

One of the goals I have as an independent insurance agent is to offer better coverage than you now have and do it at a better rate.

What do I mean by better coverage? Depending on your needs, it may be higher limits of coverage, or it may be the policy we offer has a broader and more comprehensive range of coverage’s.

For instance higher limits of coverage on an auto insurance policy may be that your current limits for Bodily Injury liability are at $100,000 per person – $300,000 per occurrence. In most cases, I am able to offer a substantially higher limit for a small increase. This increased limit could be $250,000 each person – $500,000 per occurrence, or as high as $1,000,000. When it comes to a serious claim, this change could make a huge difference in your life.

An example of broader coverage would be a homeowners policy including identity theft coverage, or special form coverage (all risk of physical damage) on your personal property instead of “named perils” coverage. We can also include increased building limits coverage at 25, 50, or 100 percent. Meaning if your dwelling limit was $200,000 and it took more than that to replace it, that $200,000 limit would be increased by the percent you have ($200,000 X 125 percent), ect..

Another type of better coverage could be disappearing deductibles. One of the companies I write motorcycle insurance through includes this feature (if you have no comprehensive or collision loss, the deductible is reduced by 25 percent per year).

This list of better coverage’s could go on and on, but you get the idea. Better coverage at better prices.

If you would like to see what we can do for you, please feel free to call 507-226-8121, or email me at dekokinsgroup@gmail.com.